A Stripe Is Born

An odd sort of radio commercial has recently been running on a.m. radio. It’s of the public-service variety. I’m not sure of the station since I listen a lot to country-wide iheart radio. The gist of it is that children can drive you crazy, even to wits end; have patience because that behavior is normal for offspring’s.

I wonder if the creators of that spot had cows in mind.

Big Girl Two [BGT] has recently given birth to a male calf. He is only nine days young. He and mother are pictured above when he was four days. I’ve given him the nickname “Stripe” because his undercarriage looks as if someone took a skinny paint roller and ran white from front to back.

As the young one confronts his new world wonderment, a unique personality is already displayed. [I think every animal has one: spiders, goats, cows, dogs, horses…….]

A just-born’s back legs are too tall in proportion to the rest of his torso; this makes him tentative when he walks. Day by day, however, he gains confidence fueling a first stage of rebellion: despite his Mom’s coaxing he adamantly refuses to pass through a gate in the wire fence.

Already on the other side she looks back at him, stares and groans – to my ears cows don’t “moo” they groan – as if to say “What are you doing there? Get over here!”

Unmoving, he stares.

She turns and walks away toward the rest of the extended family.

Then, not having a lot of experience defying Mom, he continues along the hundred feet of fence trying to find another opening.

He can’t.

Faced with the dead end – and me standing at the other side of the wire -he does an about face and saunters back to the start.

Even animal kingdom peer pressure can’t get him to change his mind: eight goats, including four kids, respectfully file by right under his nose on the way to the back part of the property to mingle with the five mature cows already there.

I watched this play – admission free – for half an hour before returning to my chores.

Eventually bull and Mom would have to meet: BGT is especially attentive and youngster is incessantly hungry.

Early at next morning’s sunrise I see the same scene and walk on by to pick another batch of dewberries. It has been an unusually prolific, delicious crop.

Early afternoon I look over and…………..guess what? There is Stripe on Mom’s side of the wire, curled up resting near his food-wagon-on-the-hoof.

There is an old expression: the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.